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James Choi

@jcpov

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Independent filmmaker / educator / photographer always looking to collab

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ANNOUNCING THE 26 OFFICIAL
SELECTIONS. Today’s spotlight: the next batch of Narrative Features! Catch all of these films (and more) on September 22-27. Get advanced tickets at riff.eventive.org or click the link in our bio. You don’t want to miss out on 6 days of 185+ film premieres, live music, community mixers, and a lot of red carpet fun!

EDIE ARNOLD IS A LOSER BY: MEGAN RICO, KADE ATWOOD
MY ONE AND ONLY DAVID TAUBER (VIRTUAL EDITION)
DEAR MOM BY: GALA KAPLUN, MAOR ALTERAS & DANNA LEVY
OUTRAGE BY: ROBIN ROSE SINGER
CONTRADICTION BY: PIERCE KAFKA
MUFFLED BY: STEPHEN MCNAMEE
DAYLIGHT FIREWORKS BY: NINA VOLOVA
BEFORE THE CALL BY: JAMES CHOI
NO ONE KNOWS BY: DAIKI KINOSHITA

#riff2026 #richmondinternationalfilmfestival
#RIFFRIVA #filmfestival #rva

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BIG news today…. ‘HOW WE ROLL’ finally has a home! That’s right — our film has been selected as part of the inaugural Yahoo x The Nonfiction Hotlist, a curated collection of 20 outstanding short documentaries chosen from nearly 1,000 submissions from filmmakers around the world.

You can now watch the collection on @Yahoo, alongside an incredible group of nonfiction storytellers that we’re honored to be a part of. Definitely check them out!

BIG THANK YOU to anyone and everyone who had a hand in this passion project. You know who you are.

Excited to keep the ball rolling on future projects, so stay tuned. But for now….

🎬 Links in bio!

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⭐️ #AAAFF2026 Official Gallery ⭐️

A month out of AAAFF ‘26 and we’re feeling super nostalgic already. 😭😭😭 Looking through the whole gallery, we wanted to firstly showcase and shout out all the filmmakers who came from near and far to share their films, their energy, their passion, and their talents with us. 🙏

The relationship between filmmaker and audience is truly a special one, and what we love about AAAFF is how that bond develops in person in real time for both sides as we appreciate the magic of film, film festivals, and community together! 😇

So thank you to our filmmakers for showing up and thanks to our audience for welcoming them! We’ll be posting more photos soon, but feel free to check our gallery in the link in bio (this is also where u can purchase photos) ✌️

And a big THANK YOU TO OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS 📸
@kellyzhuphoto
@rohofoto
@erikarichphoto
@crayonolay
@mari_cuete
@isha_doesit

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Looking back on an incredible 11 days at @danceswithfilms.

I've been meaning to share these photos because it was such a pleasure spending the festival surrounded by so many talented filmmakers and passionate film lovers. I had the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, make many new ones, watch some truly memorable films and documentaries, and be reminded once again why independent cinema is so special. The creativity, heart, and passion on display throughout the festival were genuinely inspiring. Thank you to everyone who shared their work and made this year's festival so memorable. I'm also hopeful that we'll have the opportunity to bring some of these incredible films and documentaries to audiences through Magenta in the future.

One of the highlights of the festival was spending time in the Magenta Light Studios Distribution Lounge. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to talk about film distribution, ask thoughtful questions, share your projects, and say hello. I truly enjoyed meeting so many of you and hope our conversations were helpful. I look forward to staying in touch.

I'd also like to thank my incredible team at @magentalightstudios and @magentaedgefilms, led by our founder and producer Bob Yari, for sponsoring this year's festival. We believe in championing independent filmmakers, bold storytelling, and helping great films find their audiences, which is why we're so proud to support Dances With Films.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to Leslee Scallon, Michael Trent, Jackie Tepper, Ariana Farina, Lindsey Smith-Sands, the entire Dances With Films staff, and all of the amazing volunteers for another outstanding festival. Your dedication to independent filmmakers is extraordinary, and we're honored to be a part of this community.

Congratulations to all of this year's filmmakers. I can't wait to see where your journeys take you next, and I'm already looking forward to next year! 🎬

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<before the call> dir. @jcpov continues its festival run in the states 🦋 made over 7 days in nov 2024 with 4 actors, a crew of 5, free locations, and 1 tripod. produced by me :)

feels surreal seeing this film continue to find its way from seoul to the world…and so proud of @andytrust in his debut feature role 🤍

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Before the Call (부름 전에) is coming to NYC for AAIFF!

Directed by James Choi @jcpov

🗓️ August 9th at 5PM
📍 Angelika Film Center
🎟️Tickets available at @asiancinevision

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Day 5 at the Fest with Sean and very special guest Steve! 👋 Go to the box office, get a bucket hat (or two!), and book your tickets for some movies on this rainy Wednesday. ☔️

Don’t miss BEFORE THE CALL by @jcpov at 4pm, a beautiful reckoning of a young man returning to South Korea to enlist. Follow it up at 6pm with the award-winning @itcomesinwavesfilm — a moving family drama about a Canadian refugee from Rwanda fighting to protect his sister.

There’s also plenty of shorts and docs to check out! 🎟️Link in our bio for tickets.

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It’s nearly day 5 of the 35th Woods Hole Film Festival! Come on down to Woods Hole (& Falmouth Academy!) and see some movies on a rainy Wednesday. 🎞️☔️✨

We’d like to shout out the 5pm 🌍WORLD PREMIERE🌎 of TRANSFORMING THE BEAUTIFUL GAME: THE CLYDE BEST STORY (@clydebeststory) about the pioneering Clyde Best entering the world of soccer as a black man and forever changing the game. ⚽️ If you’re missing the FIFA frenzy come get your fix with this incredible documentary.

And if you missed the first standing ovation for @loslobosfilm come for the second screening 7:45pm at Clapp. Then finish out the night with some dancing and mingling to live music from @saltcloudsmusic at @thecaptainkidd 💃

There are so many other wonderful films to catch too! 🎟️Link in our bio for tickets.

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🎬 What does it mean to choose a country that has never fully claimed you?

As a global crisis escalates and Korean soldiers are sent overseas, a young man in Seoul counts down the hours to his impending military service, reflecting on identity, duty, and the choices that shape us.

At #AAIFF49, Before the Call follows Jinwoo (@andytrust), a Korean American who voluntarily enlists in the Korean military despite being exempt from service. For Jinwoo, it's a deeply personal decision, an attempt to reconnect with a homeland he's always struggled to call his own. But as South Korea prepares to send troops to a war-torn region, his decision becomes harder to justify.

🎥 부름 전에 (Before the Call)
🗣️ James Choi @jcpov

📅 August 9th at 4:30PM
📍 Village East by Angelika

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now—link in bio.

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What’s it like returning to the place you were born after 40 years away? I talk with @jcpov about that experience, discussing his trip to Seoul, South Korea. Along the way, we touch on street photography, food, old and new converging, fear, and social interaction - as well as the book his photos are now a part of - Seoul Days and Nights! Be sure to tune in
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#streetphotography #photographypodcast #seoul #photographylover #streetphotographers
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photography • podcast • Seoul • South Korea • street photography • street photographer • photo book • fear • travel • photographers

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🏆 #AAAFF2026 AWARDS 🏆

We programmed 34 superb films this year that we absolutely loved. Our Jury and Audience stepped in to do the difficult job of carefully and lovingly bestowing honors to our #AAAFF2026 Winners. 🙏

JURY AWARDS
Narrative Feature - HONEYJOON
Narrative Short - PRAYING MANTIS
Documentary Feature - THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT
Documentary Short - BENEATH WHICH RIVERS FLOW

SPECIAL JURY MENTIONS
Cinematography - FILIPIÑANA
Narrative Directing - BEFORE THE CALL
Acting - KUCHAR (THE ITCH)
Achievement in Animation - PAPER DAUGHTER
Documentary Directing - DO YOU LOVE ME
Distinct POV - DAILY WORKER
Unfiltered Truth Telling - MEMORIES OF A WINDOW

AUDIENCE AWARDS
Narrative Feature - HONEYJOON
Narrative Short - PAPER DAUGHTER
Documentary Feature - TRACES OF HOME
Documentary Short - BARRIO CHINO HAVANA

Congrats to all of our award winners and to all of the films we screened this year—it’s more than an honor to have brought your wonderful vision and stories to our AAAFF audience this year. ❤️

Read more on our Jury selections at aaafilmfest.org/jury-awards-2026 or at the link in our bio. 🔥

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It was a momentous and surreal honor for HEKLA to screen at the 29th edition of Dances With Films in Hollywood last week. Thanks to SCREEN Magazine for this great story about our Los Angeles premiere (complete with exclusive pics), and our upcoming screenings in the Chicago suburbs this month. Thanks also to SCREEN for their coverage of Chicago’s independent filmmaking scene all through the years! Link to story in bio.

1. SCREEN Mag headline
2. Team HEKLA (L to R): Grace Schuler, Kyle Wolfe, Eric Marsh, Edie Ellis, me and Elizabeth Stam
3. Post-screening Q&A in Auditorium 1 of TCL’s Chinese Theatres, moderated by programmer Ariana Farina
4. “Orange carpet” interview with Liz
5. With Bill Vergos & James Choi
6. With Liz in the Magenta Light Distribution Lounge

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